SO MANY SCHOOLS; NO EDUCATION

(Image credit: istockphoto.com/ Emrah Turdu)

It's funny how International Literacy day coincides with the resumption period of schools here in Nigeria. In few weeks kids with school uniforms and lunchboxes will flood the streets; embarking on their quest to acquire knowledge, and educate their young minds. But at the end of the day, how many of them really get educated?

The rate at which schools are opened in the country is really getting out of hand. There are more schools in the country than ever before, yet UNESCO ranks Nigeria as one of the countries with the highest number of out-of-school-children in the world. So where exactly are we getting it wrong? Can we fight illiteracy only by building classrooms?

I've asked two questions now, let's see if we can provide an answer to both of them. First, how many kids can we really say get educated after completing the 6334 education? After 16 years of their lives in the four walls of a classroom block, can we really say our educational sector produces people ready and willing to compete with the outside world? Are our ministries of Education in the various states credible enough? Are our certificates respected outside our borders? (haha) more questions right?

  
Well, don't blame me. That's what this sick educational system has left all of us with. Questions, questions, and more unanswered questions. I really wonder when we'd get the answers to these questions. The constant, never ending ASUU strike perfectly paints the picture of our educational sector. Many lecturers and teachers have forgotten the single and most important goal of their profession which is; to educate and prepare people to be problem solvers in the society. Instead of creating solutions, our schools produce problems; no thanks to the ill-baked teachers. But why wouldn't the teachers be ill-baked? when the unemployment situation has turned the educational sector into a hunting ground for job seekers.

How do we solve this problem then? I really don't know. Pray, hope, wish... Because the truth is, the number of schools we have might solve illiteracy, but the bigger problem is; Ill-literacy--so many people who go through school and come out uneducated--Pray for Nigeria friend, Pray.